‘It sounds like a helicopter’: Mile-Ex residents voice concern over Canderel building noise

Residents in Montreal’s Mile-Ex neighbourhood say they are being tormented by a loud constant noise.

On Thursday morning, more than 20 people took to the street to voice their frustration with the noise emanating from the new development building on Marconi Street.

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“It sounds like a helicopter or an airport … like an airplane constantly flying over,” resident Dina Cindric said.

The source of the relentless clamour, they say, is the building’s industrial air conditioning system.

“In the last week, the sound from the Microsoft building has become intolerable — it’s a grinding vibrating sound,” resident Elana Wright said.

Residents of Mozart Street, right behind the development, which houses several companies — most notably Microsoft — say they are drastically affected by the noise.

Unofficial sound readings taken by Global News show noise levels reaching 70 decibels on nearby balconies — levels similar to a blow dryer or a vacuum running on a constant basis.

Cindric says the constant noise has negatively impacted her quality of life and health. “I’ve developed headaches and tension,” she said.

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Canderel, the company responsible for property management, says it is aware of the issue and is looking at solutions.

It claims the record-breaking temperatures are the reason for the increase in volume.

“Essentially, the last couple of days was the first time we had a big increase in temperature and the systems were firing on all cylinders,” Canderel CEO Brett Miller said.

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Neighbours say they are used to construction and loud noises, living in the city, but the constant sound is uncomfortable and persists 24 hours a day.

“The noise from this building is really a stronger sound and it penetrates the buildings,” resident Julien Bergeron said.

Residents have launched numerous complaints with the city and Canderel.

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City officials say they have discussed the issue with Canderel, which promised to shut down the system overnight between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.

While it shut down the system, relief did not come for residents as the manual override kicked in, starting the air conditioning unit up again, according to Miller. He says they plan to turn off the manual override system while they look for a permanent solution to reduce the noise levels.

Miller says teams are on hand, as they conduct an internal investigation into the problem. Canderel says they plan to have the issue fixed by the end of the week.

“It can’t continue this way. We just want the noise to stop,” Cindric said.

Members of the community just hope that their concerns haven’t fallen on deaf ears.